Playoffs Round 1 Recap

The KJHL playoffs kicked off with 8 teams competing for the championship and 4 series taking place.
 
The Selkirk Fishermen, who were crowned as Regular Season champs were up against the Lundar Falcons.  While Lundar briefly held the lead in game 1 after the first period, the Fishermen scored 8 unanswered goals and took game 1 by a 9-2 margin.
Cale McBride scored twice and added 3 assists for 5 points for the Fishermen.  Tanner MacVicar, Cody Melo, Jeremy Pachkowsky and Lucas Lalonde all had multi-point games.  Bretton Fewchuk earned the victory in the game.
Aldyn Gray & Jory Ross scored for Lundar.  Randy Quick tended goal.
 
Game 2 saw a much tighter game.  This was see-saw battle back and forth betweens the teams, however Lundar scored 3 times in the 3rd period, to take a 5-4 win.
Tavish Quinn scored a goal and added 2 assists, while Cody Paul & Trent Laycock each scored twice.  Breyden Turner & Brenden Carlson both added 2 assists.  Randy Quick made 29 saves on 33 shots for the win.
Cale McBride & Karl Fey both scored a goal and added an assist in a losing effort.  Jordan Liske made 18 saves in the game for the Fish.
 
With the series knotted 1-1, games turned to Lundar.  Selkirk scored twice in the first period, while Lundar counte

red with a 2nd period goal.  It wasn't enough & the Fishermen survived the game by a razor thin margin to take a 2-1 lead in the series.
Griffin Steeves & Karl Fey scored for the Fishermen.  Jordan Liske turned aside 32 of 33 shots for the win.
Tavish Quinn continued his strong play for the Falcons', scoring their lone goal.  Randy Quick made 24 saves in goal.
 
Game 4 of the series saw another battle between these teams.  It took Selkirk scoring 3 shorthanded goals, and killing off 9 of the 10 powerplays they gave the Falcons' to earn a 5-3 win in the game and closed out the series. 
Cory Balcaen & Karl Fey each scored once & added an assist in the game, while Jordan Liske made 27 saves on 30 shots to record the victory.
Anthony Mikula, Storm Swan & Trent Laycock all scored single markers for Lundar.  Randy Quick made 32 saves on 37 shots in goal for the Falcons.
 
Selkirk advanced to the semi-finals with a 3-1 series win over Lundar.
 
Second-seeded Peguis Juniors were set to take on the Norway House North Stars.  With games 1 & 2 in Peguis, the Juniors were looking to use the home ice to their advantage.  Game 1 saw Peguis jump out to a 5-0 first period lead, and they never looked back, eventually claiming the game 11-6.

Presley Kirkness & Darryl Flett led all Juniors scorers with 2 goals and 3 assists each, while Tyler McKay chipped in a goal and 2 assists and Harold Linklater added 3 assists.  Christian Cochrane & Jesse Flett both had 2 points in the game.  Keifer Tacan made 41 saves on 47 shots for the win.

Jameson Scott & Braeden Boschman both scored twice & added an assist and Kenley Monias added 3 assists in the game.  Austin Ross & Glen Paupanekis both tallied 2 points.  Sean Bradburn made 54 saves in the game.

Game 2 saw the Juniors use the 2^nd period to their advantage, as they took a close game (2-1 Norway House after one), and made it 8-1 Juniors with 7 goals.  The two teams combined for 6 3^rd period goals, as the Juniors routed Norway House 11-4 and took a 2-0 lead in the series.

Tyrell Armstrong scored twice & added 2 assists.  Brennan Cochrane, Joseph Sutherland and Tyler McKay all added 3 points, while Dylan Stevens, Darryl Flett & Jesse Flett each had 2 points.  Keifer Tacan turned aside 37 shots for his second win.

Kenley Monias continued to lead his team, with 2 goals and an assists.  Austin Ross added a goal and an assist.  Sean Bradburn and Brendan McLeod both played in goal for the North Stars.

The series shifted North to Norway House, who were looking to take advantage of the home ice and climb back into the series.  The North Stars opened the scoring in the game, and while Peguis kept it close, and even took the lead in the 3rd, it was a goal in the last minute by the North Stars to take a hard fought victory and force a game 4.

Sam McKay Jr, who had been relatively quiet in the series until this point, exploded for 2 goals and 2 assists, including the tying and eventually game winner.  Kenley Monias also chipped in with 2 goals and an assist.  Sean Bradburn made 25 saves on 29 shots for the victory.

Peguis was led by Tyrell Armstrong with a goal and 2 assists.  Waylon Neault, Tyler McKay & Presley Kirkness all recorded 2 points.  Keifer Tacan made 25 saves in the game.

With Norway House winning, game 4 was played on Sunday.  The game was a tight-checking affair, and remained 0-0 for the first period.  The Juniors opened the scoring early in the 2^nd, and held that lead until the 3^rd, when the North Stars tied it.  Peguis prevailed with a late goal, to take game 4 by a 2-1 margin.

Jesse Flett was the hero for the Juniors, scoring both goals in the game.  Keifer Tacan made 35 saves on 36 shots.

Norway House lone goal was scored by Kenley Monias, who had a great series offensively.  Sean Bradburn made 39 saves on 41 shots.

After the first two games were full of offense, the final two of the series more defensive.

Peguis advanced to the semi-finals with a 3-1 series win over Norway House.

The Arborg Ice Dawgs, after finishing third overall, were set to play host to open their series with the 6^th place St. Malo Warriors.  Arborg jumped out to a 3-1 first period lead, and increased that to 5-3 by the end of the 2^nd.  The Warriors scored early in the 3^rd to draw within one, but couldn’t get any closer, as each team traded powerplay goals in the third.

Cory Kuldys scored twice and added 2 assists to lead the Ice Dawgs.  Cody Gibson scored a goal and added 2 assists, while Talon Kelly & Travis Kilbrei each had 2 point games.  Jon Narverud made 31 saves on 36 shots for the win.

Bryden Johnson scored twice and added an assist to lead the Warriors, while Jared Magne scored two goals.  Tanner Friesen made 37 saves in the game.

The teams were back it the next afternoon.  Again, Arborg jumped out to a first period lead, this time scoring 3 times.  It was St. Malo who ruled the 2^nd however , scoring all 4 of their goals.  The third period saw the teams play even, and the Warriors held on for a 4-3 win to knot the series.

St. Malo got single goals from Bobby High, Kyle Fortin, Jeff Froese & Bryden Johnson, while Jared Magne again recorded 2 points.  Jordan Taylor tended goal in this game & made 35 saves on 38 shots for the win.

Arborg saw Carter Comeau & Connor Jonasson both score single goals.  Jon Narverud made 34 saves on 38 shots.

The next two games in the series moved to St. Malo.  With the series tied, both teams were looking to get the advantage.  Arborg held a 1 goal lead after the first, and continued to hold the same 1 goal lead after 2 periods.  The 3^rd saw both teams score twice, but only after Arborg jumped out to a 5-2 lead.  The Ice Dawgs held on for a tight 5-4 win.

Arborg saw Deric Gulay, Jayde Barkman & Cory Kuldys all score once and add an assist.  Jon Narverud made 37 saves on 41 shots for the win.

Bryden Johnson continued to be an offensive spark for the Warriors, as he scored once and added 2 assists.  Both Justin Collette & Jared Magne each chipped in with 2 assists.  Jordan Taylor made 18 saves on 23 shots.

Game 4 in the series went the next afternoon, again in St. Malo.  St. Malo opened the scoring in the first period and held a 1-0 lead.  They increased that lead to 2-0 late in the 2^nd.  The Ice Dawgs however scored one back, and narrowed the lead back to 1.  The third saw Arborg apply the pressure, outshooting the Warriors 14-6, but Tanner Friesen stood tall and earned a series-tying win for his team.

St. Malo got single goals from Blaise Nordine & Triston Eastman.  Tanner Friesen made 33 saves on 34 shots to earn the victory.

Arborg’s lone goal was scored by Travis Kilbrei.  Jon Narverud made 34 saves in the loss.

The 5^th and deciding game of the series was played the Saturday following in Arborg.  With a birth in the semi-finals on the line, both teams came out hard.  St. Malo took a 2-0 lead around the midway point of the first.  Arborg answered back, only to have the Warriors increase their lead to 3-1 before the first frame was done.  Arborg came out hard in the second, scoring even strength, short-handed & on the powerplay, and held a 4-3 lead after 40 minutes.  With one team’s season on the line, it was the Warriors who scored twice in the 2^nd, including the winner from Bryden Johnson.

St. Malo again saw Bryden Johnson lead the charge, scoring two goals (and the series clincher) along with adding an assist.  Jeff Froese dished out 2 assists, while Bobby High, Ryan Ophey & Jessi Freund all scored single goals.  Tanner Friesen turned aside 47 of the 51 shots he faced to earn his second straight win.

Cal Finnson chipped in with 3 assists for the Ice Dawgs, while Travis Kilbrei scored twice.  Cory Kuldys scored a goal and added an assist & Trent Kroeker recorded 2 assists.  Colton Davies scored the other Arborg goal.  Jon Narverud made 31 saves in the game.

St. Malo advanced to the semi-finals with a 3-2 series win over Arborg.

The final quarterfinal matchup pitted the 4^th place North Winnipeg Satelites against the 5^th place OCN Storm.  The series was set to begin at Mosienko Arena as the Satelites hosted the Storm.  North Winnipeg scored quickly, just 17 seconds into game 1.  The Storm answered back immediately, scoring 39 seconds later to knot the game back up.  This was a sign of things to come.  By the time the dust settled, it was 2-1 North Winnipeg after one.  OCN took the lead after 40 minutes, scoring two powerplay goals in the second.  Not to be outdone, the Satelites scored the game-tying goal with just 21 seconds remaining in the game to send it to overtime.  Less than a minute into the extra frame, the Satelites prevailed with a 4-3 win.

Kyle Collins led the Satelites with 4 assists.  Mathew Carrey scored twice, while both Bryan MacKenzie & Darrel Kilburn (OT winner) each scored singles.  Marc Hildebrand made 37 saves on 40 shots for the win.

Both Tinoshi Mizushima & Maxwell Shoo scored a goal and recorded an assist for the Storm.  Seth Constant scored a lone goal.  Luke Penner made 40 saves on 44 shots.

Game 2 was back at Mosienko Arena, with the Storm looking to even the series, before heading home.  This game started with a familiar ring, having North Winnipeg score the first goal and lead 2-1 after one period.  The second saw 5 goals scored: 2 by the Satelites & 3 by the Storm, which left the game tied.  North Winnipeg re-took the lead in the 3^rd, only to have the Storm tie the game & then score the winning goal with just 11 seconds to play.

OCN was led by Tanner Koroscil, who scored a goal and added 3 assists.  Mitchell Tilley notched a goal and added 2 assists, while Brody Personius & Justice Genaille each had 2 point games.  Luke Penner made 37 saves on 42 shots for the win and to even the series.

Kyle Collins scored twice for the Satelites, with Jason Campbell potting a goal and an assists & Vinny Carriere earning 2 assists.  Marc Hildebrand made 33 saves in the loss.

With the series tied 1-1, it moved north to OCN, who was hosting their first ever KJHL playoff games.  Both teams were looking to gain the lead in the series, but neither wanted to make a mistake in game 3.  The Satelites scored the lone goal of the first period, a powerplay marker, and held a 1-0 lead.  The second was scoreless & North Winnipeg carried their lead into the 3^rd.  They held on to this for much of the period, when finally OCN tied the game.  Not surprisingly, this was another close game, and after 60 minutes of regulation solved nothing, it moved to overtime.  The first period of overtime saw neither team breakthrough.  Almost 11 ½ minutes into the second overtime saw Brandon Sinclair-Martin notch his second of the game to give OCN the win.

The Storm’s Brandon Sinclair-Martin scored twice in the game.  Luke Penner was only beat once on 32 shots.

The Satelites lone goal was scored by Sean Murray.  Marc Hildebrand was equally strong in goal, allowing 2 goals on 36 shots.

The teams were back at it the next afternoon, with OCN looking to close out the series and North Winnipeg looking to draw even and force game 5.  Again, the Satelites scored the first goal & held that for the 1^st period.  The 2^nd period saw the Storm score back to back shorthanded goals & add an even strength marker to hold a 3-1 lead.  With their backs against the wall, the Satelites came out hard in the 3^rd, scoring just 21 seconds in, and then adding 2 powerplay goals to hold a 4-3 lead.  OCN found the mark 3 more times to take a 6-4 lead.  Both teams scored in the final minutes, but this left the game at 7-5 OCN, who clinched the series with the win.

Tanner Koroscil led the Storm with 3 goals and an assist.  Tinoshi Mizushima & Maxwell Shoo both scored a goal and added 2 assists, while Mitchell Tilley chipped in with a goal and assist.  Brandon Sinclair-Martin scored a lone goal.  Luke Penner made 30 saves on 35 shots to record the win.

Kyle Collins scored a goal and added an assist and Sean Murray dished out 2 assists in the game.  Dylan Wittinger, Howard Grieves, Scott Douglas & Bryan MacKenzie all scored single goals.  Marc Hildebrand made 22 saves in the game.

OCN  advanced to the semi-finals with a 3-1 series win over North Winnipeg.

With the quarterfinals complete, this set the stage for the KJHL semi-finals.  In one semi, the #1 seed Selkirk Fishermen will play host to the #6 seed St. Malo Warriors.  In the other semi, the #2 Peguis Juniors will battle the #5 OCN Storm.  The winners of these two series will square off for the KJHL Championship and the right to represent Manitoba at the 2015 Keystone Cup in Cold Lake, Ab.